(Personally, I wouldn't do any of the aqua sports when the point of going to Bellarocca is to relax and escape...)

Another good activity would be to kayak around the island of Bellarocca. Kayak rental is P800 +10%sc per hour.

Playing Golf is FREE. :) The golf course is not on the island but at the foot of Mt. Malindig. It is recommended that you bring your own golf clubs. Hiring a caddie would cost around P400. If you're lucky, the GM might let you use the Golf Cart for free. :)

The best time to go to Bellarocca is during the Moriones Festival, especially on Good Friday. The main celebration is in Boac, the capital of Marinduque.

What people do is fly in early on the morning of Good Friday, go to Boac for lunch and immerse in the solemn festival (where the entire town makes people feel like they're in Jerusalem). After Boac, they travel to Buenavista, which is about 1 hour away, and then stay in Bellarocca until Easter.

Bellarocca offers local tours but I wouldn't recommend them because they are a bit expensive. Marinduque has minimal tourist sites. It has a population of about 230,000 people, consists of 6 municipalities, which include Gasan, Boac, Buenavista and Mogpog.

You can hear Sunday Mass 25 minutes away from the town of Buenavista. Sometimes, they hold masses in Bellarocca, but you need to check first because there are times when they would invite the Aglipayan priest to say mass.

While there, you can also hike up 200+ steps until you get to the 6 geometric-shaped cement picnic tables. (It's good exercise!) Make your way up during sunrise or sunset for the best view from that vantage point.

Bellarocca is also ideal for muni-muni moments. You can do that either in the Meditation Room or in your own Villa. Sometimes, Yoga sessions are held in the Meditation Room during the peak season, when there are a lot of guests.

The Spa is not yet open but you can get a massage for P1,900. See complete list of massage services @ Bellarocca.

Tips for an Awesome Stay:

One of the unique offerings of Bellarocca is the playful option to vary your toiletries. You can request to change your toiletry brand everyday (and these are expensive brands).

Their range of all-natural bathroom amenities include products from L’Occitane, AVEDA, REN and Molton Brown. I regret not asking for Molton Brown, which is not a familiar brand in our market.

Private DinnersMake sure to reserve a private dinner @ the tea room for your group (up to a maximum of 10 allowed). The tea room faces the sunset, so you can start with cocktails and then, after the sun sets, you can have dinner already.

They would often display wine bottles on ice, tempting you to order them.

You can also opt to have a romantic dinner for two pre-arranged at the terrace of the hotel.

Having breakfast on the terrace is also a very nice experience with a great view of Mt. Malindig.

For bigger groups, you can have your dinner on the second floor of the pavilion.

TIP: They only have the private dining setup for dinner. You have to pre-order in advance. There's no additional cost for the setup except for the usual 10% service charge, so make sure to maximize this service.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay in Bellarocca. Thank you to the French GM, Jan-Michel Fautier, for entertaining us throughout our stay. He really made sure he reached out to each and every guest.

We spent around P5,000 for the plane fare + P3,000 for meals for 3 days/2 nights + cost of the accommodation (which ranges from P40,000 for 2 nights in the Deluxe Room to P120,000 for 2 nights in the 2-bedroom Villa). If you're on a budget, it would be better to go during the lean season when they have promos. :)

Disclosure clause:Our Bellarocca Hotel was part of the prize package that we won from the Sofitel Siete Pecados Contest -- here's the winning entry: Planning Your Awesome Sofitel Escape. We paid for our Seair Flights, all the Meals and all other expenses. We don't really know the owners or the PR agency marketing Bellarocca. We just met the French GM during our visit :)

hi mr.Anton
thank you for this information and reports, I have been reading this site for more than two years, There is a large amount of information and interest for travelers to the Philippines, I work in Yahoo and running the site regard to tourism and travel around the world.

http://travel.maktoob.com/vb/

And much loved to travel to Britain & Philippines
TAKE CARE & GODBLESS YOU‎

i agree with jin-jie, i am not sure it's worth the trip especially when it seems that the only attraction of the place is the resort itself (& not even their beach because of sea urchins and being a bit rocky? tsk. tsk.) with their room rates, i'd rather spend it going to el nido or misibis bay. :)

Awesome place! And very sosyal bathroom products ah. The price is just too high for leisure travelers like me. I chanced on a discount on Groupon for this, but still, way too expensive. Catering to the elite and foreigners, wish I can go there. Hayz.

We were there last week, unfortunately they said that the toiletries are for villa only :( I was pissed off since I read a lot of blogs that you get to choose your brand and I didn't bring my own since I'm hoping to use the above brands, but to no avail. I felt naloko :( Also, only kayak and snorkel are free, windsurfing is not free anymore!